THE CONSERVATIVE MAN
393
An international monopoly can function only in a world
economy in which the private business man can freely export and
import goods and in which the international flow of capital is not
restricted by governments. National monopolies, however, depend
on Governmental protection and administrative measures against
competitors who might disrupt the monopolist control of the mar–
ket. International monopoloies essentially rely on financial or
technical superiority. National monopolies rely on the absolute
power of the State. International monopolies make consumers in
foreign countries pay the major part of the tribute to the monopoly.
National monopolies, however, tax their own people. Possession
of world monopolies raises the national income by an increase of
"incomes from abroad." National monopolies, however, only
change the distribution of the national income and ultimately tend
even to reduce the total of the national income.
The fundamental weakness of international monopolies was
that they depended on a system of free trade and private compe–
tition. Their economic influence by far exceeded the political limits
of the empire. This affected Britsh imperialism in particular. Its
weaknesses could be used by young rival powers: the State became
the supporter and often the organizer of national monopolies which
resisted and attacked the old international monopolies.
A new unequal development of capitalism, unforeseen at the
time the modern world economy was evolving, became possible as
a result of the combination: State and national monopolies. New
rival powers which came on the scene too late had no chance to gain
a superior or merely equal position by utilizing the methods of
private competition. The "have nots" (or rather "have no world
monopoly") powers could succeed only by utilizing new methods–
the absolute power of the State superseding the competition of
private enterprise.
The entire basis of competition was shifted by the dissolution
of the old world economy and by the use of the absolute power of
the State to destroy the established world monoplies. Their position
was undermined and finally smashed by national monopolies.
Adolf Hitler instinctively understood the new character of the
imperialist struggle for power. This was revealed in his book
Mein
Kampf
where he outlined a strategy to conquer the European Con–
tinent first instead of far-away colonies in Africa or in the Far
